Pipeline opponents look to 2018, and the next governor

In an action of protest and solidarity with Climate Marchers around the world, nearly 100 residents of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Hunterdon County marched in April to protest the Trump administration’s environmental policies and the proposed PennEast pipeline.(Photo: File photo)Buy Photo

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Catch up on all the drama surrounding pipelines in the Garden State by watching the videos above.

Environmental groups opposed to new natural gas pipelines in New Jersey have found a new strategy against pipelines proponent Gov. Chris Christie: Wait him out.

The groups' game plan has always involved obstruction — turning every transmission line application into a drawn-out and public fight, with the hope that popular opinion will eventually compel regulators and politicians to reject the project.

But with Christie's tenure winding down — the general election is November 7 and Christie's last day is Jan. 16 — there's another wrinkle.

"For us, we just want someone who is going to look at this stuff honestly and fairly," the New Jersey Sierra Club's Jeff Tittel said Thursday. "We believe that if the next governor does that then many of these pipeline projects would go away."

Part of our job, he said, "is to slow this down and wait for the next governor."

Natural gas is generally a cheaper fuel than nuclear and cleaner than coal, but it is also a fossil fuel and a contributor to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which drives the existential threat of climate change.

It's that last bit that has conservation-minded organizations digging in to stop new transmission pipelines, even as energy companies are making a substantial push to expand the supply of natural gas in the Northeast.

At least four major natural gas pipelines are currently proposed in New Jersey — a sign of the pressure to move more fuel from the wells in Pennsylvania to customers on the East Coast and elsewhere:

Christie inserted his office into the debate when he replaced a Pinelands Commission board member and then demoted the chairman after South Jersey Gas failed to advance in January 2014.

Minutes before the rearranged commission voted to approve the pipeline in February, Pinelands Preservation Alliance Executive Director Carleton Montgomery told the Asbury Park Press that he anticipated lawsuits could tie the project up through the end of Christie's time in office.

A new governor would not only be able to remake the Pinelands Commission, but they could have considerable influence on the priorities of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the state Board of Public Utilities.

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President Trump's is taking a stand for campaign promises: protecting coal. According to the AP, the move was in response to economic losses in the industry. Coal has increasing lost business to the renewables. on tuesday Trump began looking to roll back obama-era regulations like the Clean Power Plan, which seeks to reduce emissions from coal power plants. He also want to lift the moratorium on the sale of coal mining leases on federal lands. Trump's move to support coal mining is unlikely to spur a quick turnaround in the industry however. Coals biggest problem isn't regulation but competition from the natural gas industry.
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“No matter who is in the governor’s office, if NJDEP takes a hard look at whether these proposed projects are needed, and upholds the state and federal standards that apply, they will find that these projects do not pass muster," said Tom Gilbert, campaign director, ReThink Energy NJ, which advocates for the adoption of clean energy.

In a statement to the Press on how she sees the future of power in New Jersey, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, didn't mention natural gas once.

As an abundant domestic source of energy, nothing is more cost competitive than natural gas in the current landscape.

Solar and onshore wind are closing the gap, but utilities like South Jersey Gas, which owns the Cape Atlantic project in the Pinelands, and New Jersey Natural Gas, a shareholder in PennEast and the proprietor of the Southern Reliability Link, are betting millions on natural gas in the near term.

South Jersey Gas is "very confident" the Cape Atlantic pipeline will move forward, according to spokeswoman Barbara Del Duke.

In 2007 Lester Balkie and his daughter Janice Murray display photos of Lester and his recently deceased wife Catherine outside their home at 83 Brighton Road in Barnegat. The home was destroyed in the 2007 wildfire. Balkie died six months after the fire. Thomas P. Costello

5/17/07 - - - Patrick Seagreaves picks through the debris Thursday morning of what was was once his father-in-law Lester Balkie's home at 83 Brighton Road in Barnegat. LesterBalkie died six months after the fire. Thomas P. Costello

5/17/07 - - - Janice Murray collects burned cards and photos from the shell of her father Lester Balkie's home at 83 Brighton Road in Barnegat Thursday morning. LesterBalkie died six months after the fire. Thomas P. Costello

5/17/07 - - - Janice Murray wipes soot off a photo found in the charred shell of her father Lester Balkie's home at 83 Brighton Road in Barnegat Thursday morning. LesterBalkie died six months after the fire. Thomas P. Costello

5/17/07 - - - Lester Balkie and his decesed wife Catherine are shown outside their home at 83 Brighton Road in Barnegat in this snapshot that was recovered from the home (background) that was destroyed in the wildfire. Balkie died six months after the fire. Thomas P. Costello

Barnegat Township deputy Mayor Frank Caputo conducts a meeting Thursday, May 11, 2017, at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello

Scott Knauer, section fire warden for the NJ Forest Fire Service, speaks Thursday, May 11, 2017, about the Warren Grove fire 10 years ago. On Thursday, firefighters, officials and others met at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello

Former Barnegat Mayors Al Cirulli (left) and John Novack speak Thursday, May 11, 2017, about the Warren Grove fire 10 years ago. On Thursday, firefighters, officials and others met at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello

Major Tom Still (left) and MSgt Mike Mimler, from the 177th Fighter Wing and operating at the Warren Grove Range, speak Thursday, May 11, 2017, about the Air Force’s responsibilty in starting the Warren Grove fire 10 years ago. On Thursday, firefighters, officials and residents met at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello

Brighton at Barnegat resident Diane Schlagel displays photos Thursday, May 11, 2017, that show the evacuation from her community during the Warren Grove fire 10 years ago. On Thursday, firefighters, officials and residents met at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello

Major Tom Still (left) and MSgt Mike Mimler, from the 177th Fighter Wing and operating at the Warren Grove Range, speak Thursday, May 11, 2017, about the Air Force’s responsibilty in starting the Warren Grove fire 10 years ago. On Thursday, firefighters, officials and residents met at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello

Brighton at Barnegat resident Diane Schlagel displays photos Thursday, May 11, 2017, that show damage to her community during the Warren Grove fire 10 years ago. On Thursday, firefighters, officials and residents met at the Barnegat Municipal Building to discuss how the community has changed in the 10 years since and how fire prevention efforts enroll the help of local residents. Thomas P. Costello